This article walks through an example of asking “how” questions to show the process from a basic principle to a refined value.
When articulated well, your values should inspire a sense of purpose, cultivate a unified culture, and steer your team toward its goals.
Walking through a values exercise
Core values are meaningless without clear implementation. Asking “how’” forces a team to define their values in actionable terms and can help reduce misinterpretation.
For example, “default to trust” may sound positive, but could discourage speaking up about harassment. Instead, articulate how trust is built and when skepticism is appropriate.
Let’s start with a draft value, “Community,” and ask a series of “how” questions to illustrate the process of forging actionable value statements.
| How Question | Sample Answers | Observations |
| How will we foster a sense of community? | “By being more directly involved with our community and showing we care.” | Still too vague, so let’s ask “how” again to get some more actionable answers… |
| So… how will we do that? | “We’ll create official forums and social media groups where players connect easily, focused on positive interactions.” “We’ll feature fan art, stories, and mods with attribution, showing players their contributions are valued.” “Where it makes sense, we’ll build systems for mentorship, cooperation, and safe ways for players to find each other.” “We will ensure our games and communities are welcoming and diverse.” | These are all great answers, but the last one is where the group really identifies the deeper value of community that is underlying all of these suggestions. |
| So… how will we make our games welcoming to diverse communities? | “We’ll prioritize diversity and avoid harmful stereotypes in character design, storylines, and marketing.” “Our community guidelines and moderation team will be trained to combat hate speech and harassment while fostering diverse expression.” “We’ll work towards meeting accessibility standards so the widest possible audience can feel included.” | This final “how” question inspires 3 specific actionable statements that can now be used to drive product and community decisions. |
Notice how themes emerge from your “how” responses, which we’ve highlighted in the column on the right. In some cases the answers provided were not actionable, so another round of “how” can resolve this (you can also use this as an opportunity to reframe and tighten the question to help participants). The goal is to keep asking “how” until you achieve sufficient detail and highlight the actionable aspects of the value.
Some further refinements
Here are some additional “how” questions with their answers and themes. Notice how each one has resulted in something measurable and deliverable.
| How Question | Sample Answers | Themes |
| How will we prioritize community feedback in our decision-making? | “We’ll have clear, streamlined processes for players to submit feedback and not just bug reports.” | Accessible channels |
| “We’ll provide regular updates on how feedback is considered, even if we can’t implement every suggestion.” | Transparency and reporter feedback | |
| “We may organize playtests or surveys with focused groups to dive deeper into specific areas.” | Direct community involvement | |
| How will we address harmful behavior in our communities? | “We’ll have a clear, well-publicized code of conduct outlining unacceptable behaviors and consequences.” | Effective conduct policies |
| “Players will have simple ways to report harassment, backed by efficient responses from our team.” | Empowering reporting mechanisms | |
| “We’ll proactively promote positive community norms and may invest in features that reward cooperative behavior.” | Building thriving communities |
After completing this exercise and reflecting on the outcomes, this resulted in the following revised value:
“Nurture inclusive communities where player feedback drives improvement, respect is foundational, and harmful behavior is actively addressed.”
Key outcomes from this process
- Behavior focus — Moves values from concepts to actions that teams should uphold.
- Shared understanding — Everyone sees the practical meaning of the value.
- Decision-making tool — Can now better assess, “Does this action align with our value of [X]?”
Tips
- Brainstorm freely — Some “how” answers may be unrealistic now, but they will spark discussion.
- Involve diverse voices — Different perspectives can lead to more comprehensive “how” questions.
Review regularly — Are your values guiding behavior as intended? Further “how” questions can identify where there’s still a gap between aspiration and practice.
Now what?
See the related articles below for more!
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